Goodwill Secondary School may see early completion, says education minister

Education Minister Octavia Alfred has said construction work on the new Goodwill Secondary School (GSS) is “moving fast” and barring any issues the school may be completed earlier than expected. The GSS which was severely damaged following the passage of Hurricane Maria in 2017 is one of the six schools that will be built under the China Aid Project.

 Last week during a visit to the GSS construction site, Alfred accompanied by other officials and the Parliamentary Representative for the Roseau North Constituency, Miriam Blanchard received a works update on the school.

According to Alfred, in terms of the progress she is very pleased.

“We are going on well. We are moving fast,” she said. So far, the [4 foot] foundation for the story block for the classroom, the foundation is almost complete.”

She mentioned further that in terms of the technical wing, the contractors are currently working on the foundation and soon will be moving over to the administrative side.

“At the rate at which we are going we may get our school earlier than we intended, but as you know with Dominica, we have to be looking at June to November and how the weather pattern can cause disruption,” Alfred remarked. “But with no disruption, we think that we might be a little more advanced than our date.”

The contractors, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), began the demolition of the existing structure on Monday, November 13, 2023.

The Government of Dominica, in partnership with the People’s Republic of China, broke ground on September 6, 2023, for the construction of the new secondary school.

Upon completion, the GSS will be designated a Center of Excellence for Technical Vocational Education and Training with facilities for Food Preparation, Electricity, and Electrical Installations, Garment Production, Fabric Design, Technical Drawing, Auto-mechanics, Visual and Performing Arts/Music, Industrial Arts, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning.

Other features include counseling, pastoral care and special education rooms, a sickbay, a fully-equipped library, science labs, an auditorium, a canteen, staff quarters, and a multipurpose hardcourt.